A Friend Like You
by Bekahbee
Summary: A new girl befriends Tohru, making everyone wonder why she's so familiar...Chapter 5 posted. More reviews equals More Story Updates
1. Prologue

"You know, Orange Top, if you were a little nicer you could actually get yourself a girl." Uo-chan blurted out as the gang walked home from school one day.

"What the hell is THAT supposed to mean???" Kyo shouted, his fists trembling with rage.

"It means you don't know how to treat girls." Yuki said softly. Kyo glared at his arch-nemesis, ready to sock him in the face.

"Neither do you, ya damn rat!!!" He yelled back.

"Hey, Tohru, didn't you say that you were bringing your new friend over to Shigure's for dinner?" Momiji asked Tohru sweetly, while the cat and mouse were facing off. Tohru laughed and nodded.

"Yes. My friend, Mizuki-chan. She transferred from an all-girls school in Kyoto. I thought she seemed nice and I wanted to make her feel welcome at Kaibara." Tohru said.

"I was quite impressed with her electric signals. She distinctly reminded me of someone…" Hana-chan said. Uo-chan stopped in her tracks and looked at Hana-chan.

"You noticed it, too?" She asked. Tohru looked back at them and wondered what they meant.

"Notice what?" She wondered.

"Well…Mizuki seems so much like…you know…" Uo-chan glanced at Hana-chan, not knowing exactly how to word it.

"Like Kyoko." Hana-chan finished. Tohru stood still, thinking. It made tremendous sense, after all. Mizuki made Tohru feel at ease, almost as though she'd been a long lost sister.

"I suppose she is." Tohru said with a smile. Momiji grinned in delight.

"She sounds really nice. I can't wait to meet her!" He squealed.

"You mean we've got company tonight?" Kyo released his hold on Yuki's shirt.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kyo. I thought you knew. I asked Shigure yesterday if she could join us for dinner and he seemed to think it was okay." Tohru said apologetically.

_"Oh, Tohru, I think that's a WONDERFUL idea! High school girls make the best dinner companions after all…"_ Shigure had said.

"If Shigure said it was all right, then you have nothing to worry about, Ms. Honda." Yuki said.

"It'll be nice to spend time with that writer guy again…I still didn't catch exactly what kind of books he writes." Uo-chan said.

"You don't want to know." Yuki mumbled.

"Wait a second - how many people are coming over for dinner tonight?" Kyo blurted out, his eyes widening.

"Well, there's Mizuki, Hana-chan and Uo-chan, Momiji, Kisa, Hiro, Ayame…"

"Not him…" Kyo and Yuki groaned

"…Ritsu, Hatori, Hatsuharu, and Kagura." Tohru finished.

"Are you trying to KILL me here?" Kyo shouted.

"Can it, Orange Top. It's Mizuki-chan's birthday."


	2. Mizuki's Surprise

Yuki held onto the ladder as Hana-chan climbed up to place a few balloons and streamers over the doorway. Momiji handed the balloons to her, his radiant smile beaming as bright as ever.

Hatsuharu, wearing an apron and surgical mask, watched over the boiling pot of crabs with mild apprehension. Kagura and Kisa were helping Tohru put the finishing touches on her sweet rice cake. Hiro stood in the corner, watching them with mild amusement.

"Aren't you going to help, Hiro?" Shigure said, carrying an armful of presents. Tohru wanted the day to be extra special because Mizuki, an orphan since birth, had never had a birthday party.

"Why should I? Everyone else is doing fine without me." Hiro said with a smirk.

"Oh, Shigure, this is a FABULOUS party. I knew at once when you called that this would be the celebration to end all celebrations…what exactly is it that we're celebrating?" Ayame tossed his silvery hair across his shoulders.

"Coming through!" Uo-chan yelled as she and Ritsu ran down the steps carrying a handful of games.

"So where is this great girl? Isn't it rude to be late for your own birthday party?" Hiro asked. Tohru gave him a small smile.

"Kyo is on his way to fetch her." She said.

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Mizuki walked beside Kyo in a rather uncomfortable silence. He wasn't the most pleasant of people, she understood.

"Are you gonna hurry up, or what?" He asked. Mizuki frowned.

"Are you like this _all_ the time?" She answered. Kyo's face turned red. They continued walking.

A solid rain began to fall, causing Kyo to take off running.

"Hey! You're not just leaving me behind, are you?" Mizuki asked. Rain, when it wasn't freezing cold, had always comforted her. The gentle pelts cascading through her long hair…it felt wonderful.

"I hate rain." He mumbled. He patiently stood under the awning of a nearby shop. Mizuki quickened her pace, coming to stand beside Kyo.

"We can wait here until it stops." He said. He leaned against the shop's window, closing his eyes.

Mizuki's eyes widened as she felt her heart thump. He was incredibly cute in repose. She shook her head, remembering that he had feelings for Tohru. Uo had mentioned as much.

"So…why don't you tell Tohru how you feel?" She said, staring out into the rain. Kyo tensed up.

"That's none of your business." He glared at her. Mizuki shrugged.

"Just trying to help." She said. Kyo gave a jagged sigh.

"If that damn rat wasn't always around, maybe I would," he blurted out, "but don't go blabbing that to just anyone."

"Look, the rain's letting up." She exclaimed. She held out her open hand and felt no drops of water. She ran down the slick pavement happily.

"I mean it. Don't say a word to anyone!" He shouted after her. Mizuki gave him a coy grin, continuing to run down the street.

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"Okay, everyone be absolutely quiet!" Shigure said, turning down the lights. Hiro gave a snort of laughter. Ritsu elbowed him in the ribs.

After a few minutes of being as quiet as possible, they heard a shuffling of feet outside the door. And the echo of angry voices.

"You think I care what a dumb girl like you says?"

"Spare me, you orange on a toothpick!"

The door opened and Mizuki stumbled in with Kyo at her heels.

"What's wrong?" Tohru asked, forgetting the element of surprise.

"I hate him!" "I hate her!"

"Surprise?" Ayame murmured, taking a sip of tea. He shared a worried glance with Hatori. An unsure chorus of 'surprise' followed.

"Kyo, why are you being mean to Mizuki?" Momiji asked. Kyo's face was bright red. Mizuki pursed her lips, trying to enjoy the fact that Tohru had been kind enough to throw a party for her.

"Thanks. I feel so touched." She said with a smile.

"You should. It was no picnic to put together." Hiro muttered. Kagura glowered at him.

"Why does _she_ get the party? She doesn't deserve it!" Kyo yelled. Yuki gave him an angry shove. Mizuki turned around at the last second and caught him, sending the two of them sprawling to the floor.

The entire room was deathly silent. All of the Sohmas held their breath as they waited for Kyo to change into a cat. But he never did.

"Hold on a measly second." Kyo muttered, rising to his feet. He held out his hand to help Mizuki up as well but she ignored it.

"So how about we get this party started with some of Tohru's famous curried crab?" Uo- chan said. Hana-chan nodded.

"What a fabulous idea, girls. You know, you two should be models at my shop." Ayame said, leading a crowd into the dining room.

Kyo gave Mizuki a deep glance. But before he could say a word, Mizuki left the room to enjoy the festivities with her friends.

"Why didn't I transform?" Kyo whispered. Hatori and Yuki stood beside him in confusion.

"Perhaps she too is a member of the zodiac. It would stand to reason."

"What???" Yuki and Kyo's jaws dropped open.


	3. Wicked Oni

"In order to prove this theory, we need to find out who her parents were." Hatori said softly. Kyo and Yuki looked at each other in a confused silence.

"Mizuki-chan is an orphan." Yuki said after a bit.

"Kyo, Yuki, I want you both to befriend her and get information from her about her origins. If necessary, ask Tohru to help you. But only as a last resort. I don't want to involve her in this."

Yuki and Kyo nodded, understanding the seriousness of the matter.

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"This cake is delicious, Tohru!" Mizuki exclaimed. Tohru blushed and gave a modest shrug.

"Thank you." She said.

"Tohru makes the best dishes." Momiji beamed at her with pride.

"She's going to make a fabulous wife for someone someday…maybe even me!" Ayame squealed. Yuki and Kyo's faces darkened hideously.

"If everyone is through eating, I'd like to play some of the party games." Shigure added before Yuki or Kyo could begin to argue.

The party game that proved the most popular was _Kagome Kagome_. The object of the game was for someone (the oni, or demon) to be blindfolded in the center of a large circle of people. The people would sing a song and when they finished, the person in the middle had to guess which person was behind him.

If he was correct, that person would be the next one to be in the middle.

"Mizuki-chan gets to be the oni!" Uo shouted. Shigure placed a long, red silk scarf over her eyes. She smiled and stepped into the center of the main room.

Everyone joined hands, some begrudgingly, others having a grand time, and sang as they walked in a circle around Mizuki.

When they finished singing the Kagome song, Mizuki heard Momiji giggle directly behind her. She smiled to herself.

"That couldn't be Momiji's sweet voice I heard!" She said. Momiji, putting two and two together, realized that Mizuki would be perfectly safe to hug. So he leapt out to her and embraced her excitedly.

Mizuki tumbled to the ground, laughing as Momiji fell beside her in good spirits. She lifted the scarf above one eye and grinned at him.

Momiji was blindfolded and put in the center. Mizuki took Momiji's place in the circle, nervously holding hands with Kyo and Hatsuharu. Hatsuharu gave her a small smile, but Kyo merely glared at her.

"Um, Kisa's behind me. Right?" He looked around. Everyone laughed when he stared up at Kyo with shining eyes.

"Oops. My bad." He giggled. Kyo clenched his fist angrily.

"Ouch." Mizuki muttered, not-so-subtly reminding him that they were still holding hands.

"Don't pay attention to that hothead." Hatsuharu said. Mizuki blushed furiously.

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Mizuki had tried to insist that she stay and help clean up, but Tohru would not hear of it. So Mizuki began to walk back to her home.

She lived in a tiny cottage near the woods at Kaibara High School. It had the basic utilities, and was quite cozy. But the fact of the matter was that she lived alone. She sometimes preferred it that way, though.

She had made a decent living off becoming a shampoo girl in a local salon on the outskirts of the city. Sweeping hair, refreshing towels, organizing the schedule for the hairstylists…her title was rather meager for all the odd jobs she ended up doing.

But she enjoyed it for the most part. And that's what really mattered.

"Where the heck ya goin'?" Kyo asked her as she left.

"Home. Why, you got another surprise under your belt?" Mizuki asked. She wasn't usually so sarcastic with everyone, but Kyo brought out some of the worst in her.

"Just wondering. Is that a crime?" He replied.

"I'll walk you home, Mizuki." Yuki said, holding the door open for her.

"Like hell you will. I asked her first." Kyo shouted.

"Not really." Yuki countered. They stared at each other for a heated moment of silence and barely noticed that Mizuki had gone off and left them.

"Great, you stupid cat. How are we supposed to find out about her if we don't even know where she lives?" Yuki mumbled.

"Why is this my fault? You interrupted us!" Kyo shouted.

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Mizuki sat beside her window and counted her blessings that she had made such wonderful friends. The world seemed less cold when you knew you could trust people, and that they actually cared.

She clutched the faded picture in her hand, the only memento of her mysterious past. It was of a man and a woman smiling in the bright sunshine, shielding their eyes with their hands.

Their faces were just barely discernable, but Mizuki wouldn't have known them anyway.

She got ready for bed, feeling rather flushed from her confrontations with Kyo. She was extremely angered by him…the nerve of him insulting her like that! But the feelings didn't stop at anger.

"Oh, please, God, don't tell me I like him!" She prayed near her little cot. She had enough problems as it was without having to sort through dead-end crushes.

She thought of his face…the way he had laughed with Tohru…

"Ugh, I do. I really do…" She whispered.


	4. The First Dream

Mizuki laid down to dream, her pillow not as soft as it could be, but then again it never was when something was quite pressing on her mind.

She finally drifted into the realm of sleep, and dreamt of many strange, yet familiar things…

_Mizuki sat on a throne near a wooded clearing that much resembled where she was currently living. In her hand she held piece of rice paper with many dates and symbols on it. _

_She waited a very long time near the mouth of a river, watching it as though expecting someone to cross it at any moment. After what seemed like eternity, she spotted an ox trudging slowly through the current._

_A handsome rat was on his back, hopping off as soon as he reached the shore. The rat ran up to Mizuki, bowing low and claiming first place in the competition. The ox came shortly after him, grabbing second place._

_A tiger suddenly emerged from the river, panting and soaking wet, shivering with the cold. She stepped up to Mizuki, bowing and taking the third spot of the race._

_The tiger was soon followed by the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, and the horse. They had all helped or cheated each other in some way, but Mizuki could not figure out which one had done what. She shook her head in a confused sort of way._

_The ram, the monkey, and the rooster, however, had joined forces together in order to make it across the river, and they all finished the race in successive order._

_The dog and the boar were the last ones to reach Mizuki, grateful that they had made it in time. In fact, any later, and they might have forfeited their place in the zodiac to the cat._

_The cat crawled through the grass, quite wet and ill-tempered. He arrived too late and Mizuki hadn't the heart to tell him he'd made it too late._

_The rice paper in Mizuki's hand suddenly lit up with pictures and titles next to the symbols and dates. All the animals of the zodiac had been chosen, and the calendar was ironclad._

_Mizuki did not have to tell the cat he had lost. He noticed it soon enough on the calendar in Mizuki's hands. He vowed revenge on the rat, the only animal he blamed for his misfortunes._

_And in some strange way, Mizuki knew he blamed her as well._


	5. Sakura in the Spring

Mizuki awoke from her dream, remembering nothing. She felt rather sad and regretful, even though she had no idea why.

She washed her face and got ready for school, trying vainly to recall her dream. But it was no use. The visions were gone.

After she dressed herself, she walked to school with a dissatisfied mind. Perhaps some people could forget about dreams and not care, but Mizuki knew her dream had been important. Her feelings of sorrow hadn't gone away.

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"Good morning, Mizuki-chan." Tohru said with a sweet smile. Mizuki returned the smile. Hana-chan and Uo-chan waved from their desks.

"Sorry about Kyo's behavior last night. Sometimes he can be a real jerk-off." Uo mumbled. Mizuki shook her head and laughed.

"Don't worry about it. He doesn't bother me." She said. But he bothered her more than she cared to admit.

"Your electric signals are quite erratic, Mizuki. Feelings of embarrassment and…love?" She asked, confused by her own findings. Mizuki blushed and shook her head vehemently.

"Oh, is Mizuki in love with someone?" Tohru wondered.

"I bet I know who it is." Uo said with a sly grin. She glanced over at Kyo and gave a slight nod. Mizuki nearly died from shame.

"…I…no I don't…" she stammered.

"Don't worry about it, Zuki. I was only teasing." Uo-chan said. Mizuki gave a sigh of relief.

Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima shared a look with each other. They nodded, fairly certain that Mizuki was enamored with Kyo.

"Kyo is like that with everyone, Mizuki. He doesn't quite know how to act around people, even with all the practice he's had." Tohru murmured.

"Yes. Even though he's well-liked at school, he still has a lot to learn…that idiot." Mizuki turned to face Yuki, somewhat surprised by his attitude.

'Prince' Yuki didn't appear to have a personality, so she naturally assumed he was a nice, quiet boy. But did nice boys mutter curses under their breath?

"It's not a problem. I'm just glad that I had such a good time." Mizuki said. Yuki nodded.

"I had a wonderful time, too. As a matter of fact, I was wondering if you'd like to spend some time with me after school." Yuki asked. Mizuki was stunned.

A few others were quite shocked as well, namely a few members of the dreaded 'Prince Yuki Fanclub.'

"Doing what?" Mizuki asked. She tried to ignore the stares.

"Anything you want." He said charmingly. The club members swooned.

"I would die happy if Prince Yuki Sohma said that to _me_!" They tittered. But the giddy glee soon gave way to something more sinister.

"Emergency meeting of the Prince Yuki Fanclub." One girl whispered to the others.

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Makoto Minagawa stood at the front of a classroom, writing something on the board.

A few members scurried in after the door was closed and the meeting was called to order.

Minagawa turned to face the members, a look of determination on her face.

"We have an even more pressing problem than Tohru Honda…it seems that our dear Prince has fallen for a witch. Her sorcery has ensnared him, and for this reason, we have to stop her.

She cannot get away with endangering our beloved Prince Yuki. She has taken away his free will, and now he has no choice but to succumb to her wiles. I say we teach this sorceress a lesson she won't soon forget."

The members nodded in agreement, murmuring amongst themselves.

"But how do we do it?" Asked one of the first years.

There was a deadly silence.

"We let her know that she is not welcome here." Minagawa said in a low voice.

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"Why the sudden interest in me?" Mizuki asked. Yuki was speechless, and tried to remember that Mizuki was a very blunt, honest person.

"I wanted to get to know you better. Is that all right?" Yuki asked, giving her a handsome smile. Mizuki shrugged, still somewhat wary of his intentions.

"I don't suppose I mind." Mizuki murmured. They were walking down the sidewalk near a park, watching the cherry blossoms float to the ground.

Mizuki was caught up in their beauty, holding her hands out to catch the petals as they soared past her.

"I love the Spring." she whispered.

Yuki reached out to her and began pulling the stray flower petals out of her hair.

"It's lovely." He added, clearing his throat. He turned away and was at a loss for words.

"Hope springs eternal, you know? To me, I think that every spring is another chance to make the world nicer. To start the year fresh with no mistakes. The hope of a better tomorrow is always there. Hope springs eternal."

Mizuki smiled and at that moment, Yuki could not see her as she was. Instead he saw the form of the Jade Empress, smiling her wise and gracious smile.

His eyes widened.


End file.
